PROJECT:The Telephone Interview
INTRODUCTION:
Organizations use telephone interviewing for a variety of reasons. They may be trying to narrow a large candidate field, they may find time and/or location to present logistical problems, or, they may simply find the telephone interview an effective method of identifying potential hires. Interviewers may interview you for opportunities such as an internship, a full-time job, a part-time job, entrance into an educational program, a scholarship program, etc.
Most often, the telephone interview occurs at the very beginning of the interview process (after submitting your cover letter, application, and resume) and may well be your first interview with an organization (although this is not always the case). Regardless, when the telephone interview occurs, you will want to be ready. This type of interviewing is very important and has its own advantages and disadvantages. As the interviewee, you need to be aware of how you can use the telephone interview successfully.
Like any other interview, the telephone interview requires preparation. Some applicants are nervous about telephone interviews in part because they do not know what to expect. Others assume that the telephone interview is “just talking casually on the phone for a few minutes.” The goal of this project is to help you prepare for telephone interviews by understanding what they generally consist of, how to prepare for one and how to interview successfully. This is not a casual conversation!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read Chapters 17, 18 and 19 in the textbook, keeping in mind how you can apply traditional interviewing strategies to the telephone interview. Pay special attention to pages 451-453.
Your finished project should fulfill ALL PARTS of the requirements below.
A.Type the words “phone interview” into an internet search engine. Read all applicable information. Turn in a list of your sources.
B.Using the information you gathered, write out your plans for your telephone interview. You may want to write it as a time line. What written materials will you have on hand? What steps will you use to prepare?
C.Prepare a one minute monologue and include the following:
  • How you can benefit the organization.
  • How your qualifications and background match the specific job.
  • This is your commercial! You must be prepared to talk glowingly about yourself but avoid appearing conceited-there is a fine line.
D.Practice your monologue and a few other interview questions with a friend or family member over the phone and get feedback. Alternately, record yourself answering the questions and listen carefully to your responses. Notice how it feels to use the phone to answer questions, pay attention to what you do with a pause in the conversation, are you are inclined to ramble to fill empty space? Are your answers terse or verbose? You must not come across as too casual and you must treat this as if it was the same as a face-to-face interview.
E.Write one page analyzing your practice interview
F.Present your monologue to a partner and your CareerCenter career counselor, if available. Feel free to rehearse and refine your presentation until you are totally comfortable with it before you deliver a real presentation which is basically a one minute commercial about your talents. Some individuals feel that practicing in front of a mirror or recording the presentation helps refine it.
Turn In:
List of reading sources
One page preparation time line/personalized strategy for interview
One minute word by word written monologue delivered to a partner
One page analyzing your “practice interview” results. Your opinion matters! Repeat the process over and over until you feel comfortable with your replies.